Valve lifter



Dec. 2@, 1949 s. M. JONES ETAL 2,491,738

VALVE LIFTER Filed April 25, 1945 fy a 2,3

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[azmwre F/Pe/MQ raf INVENTORsj BY MMWM IQTTOPNEY.

Patented Dec. 20, 1949 .NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE LIFTER Samuel M. Jones and Lawrence P. Reichard, Youngstown, Ohio; said Jones assignor to said Reichard 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a valve lifter and more particularly to a valve lifting tool adapted for use in connection with Cadillac and LaSalle V-S motors.

The principle object of the invention is the provision of a valve lifter tool formed to facilitate the removal or replacing of keys on the valve stems of a motor.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a valve liftin tool particularly adapted for use with a Cadillac or LaSalle V-8 motor to facilitate the installation of valves therein, and particularly the installation of keys on the said valves which normally retain the same in tensioned position.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a valve lifter tool having means for catching and retaining keys accidentally dropped during an inserting operation.

The valve lifting tool shown and described herein has been designed to make possible the rapid installation of valves in a Cadillac or LaSalle V-type engine and particularly to facilitate the installation of the keys upon the keyways of the various valve stems of the engine prior to their being held by the key seats of the valve assemblies. It is well known that intake and exhaust manifold valves are employed in internal combustion engines to control the orifices establishing communication between the inlet and exhaust manifolds and the cylinders and cylinder head assemblies. It is also well known that such valves each consist of a single valve having a depending valve stem which is in turn provided with a pair of keyways near its lowermost end. These keyways serve as a means of establishing a bearing surface for the lowermost portion of the valve tensioning spring which is positioned about the valve stem and which engages a key seat also positioned about the valve stem and which engages keys positioned on the valve stem on the said keyways. In a Cadillac or LaSalle V-type engine, hydraulic valve lifters are employed, which valve lifters are part of the engine assembly and which directly engage the cam shafts of the engines and transmit the movement of the cams thereon to the bottom of the plurality of intake and exhaust valves. It is also known that upon the removal of such hydraulic valve lifters the possibility of dropping the keys from the valve stems when removed is very great and as they will drop directly into the crank case of the engine they constitute a serious hazard. The present invention has been designed to insure against such accidental dropping of the keys and further to facilitate their removal and reinstallation as is necessary at such times as the valves are to be ground or replaced in rebuilding or overhaulin of the engine.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the valve lifting tool in operative location with respect to a valve spring and key seat and the cam shaft of a V- type internal combustion engine.

Figure 2 is a top plan view with parts in cross section taken on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan detailed elevation taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

By referring to the drawings and Figure 1 in particular, it will be observed that the valve lifting tool consists of a pair of arms ll] and H which are pivoted to one another by means of a pivot l2. The arm II is provided with an upwardly turned end !3 having an axially extending opening formed therein and is adapted to slidably receive a shaft l5, one end of which is pivoted as by means of a pivot IE to an uppermost section ll of the upper arm l0 and the other end of which is threaded, as indicated by the numeral l8, and adapted to threadably engage a threaded opening in a rotatable handle [9. A washer 28 is positioned between the handle l9 and the bearing surface of the end l3 of the lower arm H, adjacent the opening I4, so that when the handle I9 is revolved clockwise on the threaded shaft Hi, the shaft is drawn outwardly through the opening I4 so as to move the upper arm Ill and cause an extension lflA thereof to move away from the lower arm I I. A coil spring 2i is positioned about the shaft I8 between the upper arm Ill and the end E3 of the lower arm H, and the spring 2i is normally compressed at such time as the handle I9 is revolved clockwise drawing the shaft l8 outwardly therethrough. The spring 2| serves to return the upper arm ill to position against the lower arm H at such time as the handle 19 is revolved in a counterclockwise direction.

Still referring to Figure 1, it will be seen that J the extension 19A of the upper arm ill is provided with a pivotally afiixed, semi-cylindrically formed member 22 and includes a base 23 and a top 2 2 the top 2% having a centrally located opening 25 therein and an annular shoulder 25 thereabcut. As illustrated in Figure 1, the semicylindrical member 22 is mounted upon the extension idA of the upper arm it by means of a screw 22? positioned in an opening in the extension WA of the upper arm It and engages a threaded opening in the base 23 of the semicylindrical member. In Figure l a valve stem is indicated by the numeral 28 anda valve spring by the numeral 29. A key seat 35 is shown positioneo, immediately beneath the lowermost portion of the valve spring 29 and it willbe observed that it is flanged around its periphery to cause it to retain the valve spring 29 in appropriate position thereon. The key seat as is also provided with a depending, semi-cone shaped flange 3i which is adapted to engage a pair of oppositely disposed keys 3:2 and 33 which are formed to register with keyways 3& formed in the valve stem 28 near its lowermost end. As illustrated in Figure 1, the lower arm I I is shown positioned on a cam shaft 35 and it is obvious that it may be positioned on any other appropriate structure to establish a suitable purchase for the tool. In Figure l the operation of removing or replacing the keys 32 and 33 hasbeen partially completed, it being observed that after the removal of the hydraulic valve lifters, which are normally interposed between the lowermost end of the valve stem 28 and the cam shaft 35, the valve lifting tool with its arms i ii and I l is positioned between the cam shaft and the key seat Eli on the valve stem 28. In such position, the lower portion 3! of the key seat 3i! depends into the semi-cylindrical member 22 of the lifter and the keys 32 and 233 are completely within the semi-cylindrical member. In such position, the handle 19 is revolved upon the threaded shaft it to cause the extension ltA of the upper, arm l9 to be moved away from the lower arm 'ii (upwardly) thereby lifting the key seat as and its key engaging, depending fiange 35 away from the keys 32 and 33 and thereby permitting the same to be removed. In the event that the keys 32 and 35 fall from their position on the keyways 3 of the v'alvestem 23, they will be caught by the semi-cylindrical member 22, and when this occurs thevalv'elifter tcols operation is reversed so as to retract the arms iii and H of the tool and thereby permit the valve spring 2% and the valve itself to be removed. v

By referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings, it will be observed that the semi-cylindrical member 22 is formed with an open side which is partially turned with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device, and which open side permitsaccess to the interior of the semi-cylindrica1 member 22 and thereby facilitates the removal of the keys therefrom or the installation of keys 32 and 33 upon a valve stem 28 positioned therein as indicated in Figure 3. It will be observed that ample room is provided for the manual positioning or removal of the keys t2 and 33, or an automatic toolcommonly employed for in's't'aling keys on the keyways of a valve stem may be used, as

from severa ho rs to a relativelyfew minutes.

In such an installation operation, meteors polowermost end of the valve stem 28 which has the keyways 34 formed therein. In such exposed and, therefore, readily accessible location and in protected relation by reason of the semicylindrical member 22, the keys 32 and 33 may be readily installed on the keyways and upon such installation the handle is may be manipulated slightly to permit the device to retract partially thereby bringing the depending flange 3| of the key seat 323 into operative engagement with the keys 32 and 33 and thereby hold the same on the valve stem 28 and in appropriate position on the keyways 34 thereof. Thus, in a single, simple "operation the installation of the valve keys is accomplished. In the event that the keys are dropped or that theydo not register correctly with the keyways and drop by reason of misalignment, they are caught by the semicylindrical member 22 and do not 'drop into the exposed crank case of the engine. When this occurs, the tool may be retracted sufficiently to permit the same to be withdrawn from the motor and the keys recovered and reused or another set of keys may be installed and the keys left in the bottom of the semi-cylindrical member until such time as the operation is completed on the particular valve. N I

By referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, it will be observed that the extension NBA of the upper arm It is formed on the upper arm to or attached thereto by means of extensions HEB of the arm iii engaging 'a'slot illcin the extension 10A and being turned outwardly and, in effect,

riveted to secure theextension I 9A to the upper arm Iii of the tool. In Figure 2, the cross sectional elevation of the semi-cylindrical member 22 is shown, it being observed that the cross sect on is taken through the annularshoulder 2% thereof and that the cross sectional view also illustrates the key seat 3!) and the upper ends of the keys 32 and 33 as well as the valve stem 23.

It will thus be seen that a simple and eficient valve lifter tool has been disclosed which incorporates as its principle point of novelty the semicylindrical member 22 which makes poss ble the rapid and eflicient removal and/or installation of valves in a Cadillac or LaSalle V-typ'e motor without the heretofore dang'ero'f misplaced keys dropping into the crank case of the engine and the necessity of subsequently removing the same. It will also be seen that the device forms an efiicient means of compressing the valve spring with respect to the valve stem and thereby permits the rapid installation of thekeys upon the valve stem. The device is of relatively simple H and sturdy construction and is very effective in its indicated use. H v

, Having thus described our invention, what we claim is: I v

1. In a valve lifting tool having a pair of arms pivoted to one another and screw means engag= ing the same for moving the arms with respect to one another, a semi-cylindrical body member having an unbroken base mounted on one of the said arms and at right anglestheretQsaid semi cylindrical body member having an annular shoulder located inwardly from the uppermost end thereof, a side section of the semi-cylindrical body member being cut away below the said annular shoulder to permit access to the interior thereof, the uppermost end of the said semicylindrical member adapted to be engaged on the lower end of a valve spring so that it will compress the same when it is moved upwardly thereagainst by the said arms and screw means.

2. In a valve lifting tool having a pair of arms pivoted to one another and having screw means engaging the same for moving the arms with respect to one another, a semi-cylindrical body mounted on the outermost end of one of the said arms and at right angles thereto, said semi-cylindrical body member having an annular shoulder formed therein inwardly from its outermost end and having a side section cut away beneath the said annular shoulder to permit access to the interior of the semi-cylindrical body member, an unbroken bottom section formed integrally with said semi-cylindrical body member, the said semi-cylindrical body member adapted to be en- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 1,336,202 Corsi Apr. 6, 1920 1,452,714 Sunnen Apr. 24, 1923 1,592,177 Busick July 13-, 1926 1,685,548 Housley et a1. Sept. 25, 1928 1,738,178 Fix Dec. 3, 1929 1,791,961 Frye Feb. 10, 1931 1,927,126 Kulp et a1. Sept. 19, 1933 

